Junior Colloquium: Liberalism and Its Discontents
CSS 371
Spring 2019
| Section:
01
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| Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory |
This course presents an overview of social and political theories developed in the post-World War II period. It focuses particular attention upon developments within Liberal political theory during this time, examining this scholarship both for the insights it offers and for the ways in which these ideas have been used to obscure oppressive social relations. Considering the general contours of the Liberal tradition--particularly its relationship to forms of social domination such as colonialism, racism, class inequality, and gender and sexual oppression--the course moves through an examination of canonical thinkers who have both challenged and contributed to Liberal social thought. Taking the ruminations of Nazi jurist Carl Schmidt as a problematic yet demanding provocation, the course asks in part how successfully Liberal theorists have resolved the dilemmas Schmidt identifies within Liberalism (or if, indeed, fascist tendencies pervade Liberal social thought, as Schmidt contends). Theorists within the Liberal tradition such as Friedrich Hayek, Hannah Arendt, and Jürgen Habermas are joined by critics such as Franz Fanon, Carole Pateman, and Michel Foucault in this critical overview of contemporary Liberal social theory. Through this examination of recent interventions in Liberal thinking regarding the social, this class is meant to provide students with an opportunity to think through ways in which various contemporary approaches to social issues both invoke and reformulate political debates of long standing. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS PHIL |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CSCT)(CSS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
The only required book for the course is Inderpal Grewal, SAVING THE SECURITY STATE. Optional books include the following:
Carole Pateman, THE SEXUAL CONTRACT
Jürgen Habermas, THE STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC SPHERE
Carl Schmitt, POLITICAL THEOLOGY, THE CONCEPT OF THE POLITICAL, THE CRISIS OF PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY (three different books)
Friedrich Hayek, THE ROAD TO SERFDOM
Michel Foucault, THE BIRTH OF BIOPOLITICS
Didier Fassan, HUMANITARIAN REASON: A MORAL HISTORY OF THE PRESENT
The sections of these optional books that we will be reading will be available as PDFs.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Six response papers and a final paper |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Prerequisites: (CSS220; CSS230; CSS240) This course is the Junior Colloquium in the CSS, and is limited to CSS juniors. |
| Instructor(s): Kaye,Kerwin Times: ..T.R.. 10:20AM-11:40AM; Location: PAC125; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 30 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
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